Less than one in ten adult Romanians is obese, which makes Romania the least obese country in the European Union.

The share of obesity among the population aged over 18 in Romania was 9.4%, in 2014, compared to an EU average of 15.9%. The highest obesity rate was registered in Malta, where 26% of the population was overweight, according to the European statistics office Eurostat.

Romania was followed by Italy, which had a share of obesity of 10.7%, and Netherlands – 13.3%. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Hungary, and Latvia had obesity rates of over 20%.

While there is no significant difference in obesity rates among men and women, the share of obesity is higher among people with lower studies and goes up with age.

In Romania, the obesity share among young people aged 18 to 24 was only 1.2% in 2014, compared to a EU average of 5.7%, and a share of 10.8% in the UK. In the 25-34 age group, the obesity rate was 4.8% in Romania, 9.9% in the EU, and 16% in the UK.

editor@romania-insider.com